Snapshot · The Shawn Ryan Show
The iron isotope in human hemoglobin is the same as that found in meteorites — both originating from a supernova explosion that occurred before the Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago.
Where this was said
At 2:28:40 · chapter starts 2:19:10
On St. Patrick's Day 2014, the BICEP team held a press conference at Harvard — led by Avi Loeb — announcing what appeared to be the detection of primordial gravitational waves, the long-sought signature of cosmic inflation. The discovery made front pages worldwide. Keating, who had been removed from the team's leadership, harbored private doubts about the signal's robustness. Invoking Feynman's rule — 'the easiest person to fool is yourself' — he explains how the team missed a crucial contaminant: galactic dust from dead stars, the very material that makes up the meteorites he brought to the studio. That dust mimics the gravitational wave signature exactly. The claim was retracted in a deeply public and embarrassing correction. The story became the subject of his bestselling book *Losing the Nobel Prize*, and serves as the episode's most powerful illustration of scientific humility. [1] — Brian Keating "In 2014, Brian Keating's BICEP team announced they had detected the gravitational wave signature of cosmic inflation — the primer strike of…" 2:19:00
Brian Keating's BICEP telescope team claimed in 2014 to have detected the gravitational wave signal of cosmic inflation — but the result was later retracted after proving to be galactic dust contamination.
The iron in human blood is the exact same isotope as the iron in ancient meteorites — both came from a supernova explosion that predated Earth. When a star above 8 solar masses collapses, it detonates in half a second and scatters iron across the galaxy. We are that iron.
The widely cited ego-depletion model — the idea that willpower is a finite resource that gets depleted — failed to replicate in follow-up studies.
Humans are estimated to have 5,000–7,000 thoughts per day, yet can recall essentially none of them afterward, highlighting why in-the-moment emotional tracking matters.
A large Harvard study found that a wandering mind is an unhappy mind — people report greater happiness when their attention is tethered to the present, even if the task is unpleasant.
A key study finding that we have a 'credit card's worth of plastic' in our bodies was likely skewed because researchers used nitrile gloves that shed plastic particles onto the microplastic detector.
Emotionally sensitive people have a hyperactive amygdala, an underactive prefrontal cortex, and a frayed connection between the two — making emotional regulation structurally harder.
Rejection sensitivity can be observed as early as age 2 or 3, suggesting it has strong developmental and likely genetic roots.
A Yale study found that non-judgmental observation of emotions — without rushing to resolve them — reduces activation in the brain, making it a powerful regulation tool.
Dan Gilbert's research found that the psychological immune system — the brain's ability to justify and find satisfaction in choices — activates most powerfully when a decision is perceived as irreversible.
Barry Schwartz's research found that maximizers — people who try to optimize every decision — tend to achieve objectively better outcomes but report lower happiness than satisficers who choose 'good enough.'
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